That stool is wearing socks, see, because my downstairs neighbors (and I am referring to the definition of "neighbor" as in "a person who lives near another," not as in "a person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward his or her fellow humans") banged a broom (I am assuming it was a broom?) on their ceiling (my floor) the other night, which is, of course, the universal apartment building sign for "Shut up." I believe, in this case, the bang-bang-bang of my neighbors' broom meant, "Shut up already with that horrible screeching noise," the screeching noise being the squeaking and scratching (it's almost a honk, really) of my four-legged painted-red wooden stool against the black-and-white checkered tile floor in my kitchen (sometimes at night, because there's better light, I like to write in my kitchen). It's a pretty offensive noise I have to admit. It surprises even me sometimes. So I can't really blame them, as it was after 11, and I assume they have normal jobs, and regular working hours (again, I do not know for sure because they are not particularly "neighborly" in the second definition sense of the word). So I suppose they were sleeping and did not appreciate me scooting the stool back and forth every time I wanted to get up and do something other than finish the assignment I was working on, which, incidentally, was about every six to ten minutes. See while I am "writing from home" and most especially while I am "on a deadline," I will find any excuse at all to do absolutely anything but write. So, showing "kindliness or helpfulness towards his or her fellow human," I put two pair of tall tube socks on the legs of my stool so as to silence the screeching and help them sleep.
